226 PASTORAL AND AGRICULTURAL BOTANY 



Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius). This plant is grown for its fleshy 

 roots which have an oyster flavor. 



Chorogi (Stachys Sieboldii).-The Chinese, or Japanese artichoke is 

 a mint-like plant with crisp tubers eaten raw, or cooked. 



Ulluco (Ullucus tuber osus). This plant is a native of Peru, where 

 it is cultivated for its tubers. 



Chufa (Cyperus esculentus). The edible tubers of this sedge are much 

 prized in the south, where it is often cultivated. The raw, or baked 

 chufas have an agreeable nutty flavor. 



Ginger (Zingiber officinale). The rhizomes of this tropical plant 

 are cultivated. 



Taro, or Dasheen (Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta). This is the 

 elephant's ear of our gardens. It has been grown as taro from time im- 

 memorial by the South Sea Islanders, as one of their important food 

 plants. It has been lately grown in the United States for its large starchy 

 corms and its leaves under the name of dasheen. 



Eddo, Tannia, Yautia, Cocoe (Xanthosoma atrovfrens) . The under- 

 ground tubers are edible. 



Cassava (Manihot utilissima}. This plant is also called bitter cassava, 

 mandioca, manioc, tapioca plant. It is the chief food of the tropical 

 Indian tribes of South America, where maize is not grown. Cassava is 

 cultivated for its starchy roots in many parts of the tropics, since it is a 

 crop which yields large return for a comparatively small amount of labor. 



Yam (Dioscorea alata and D. batatas). The yam is much cultivated 

 in countries with a warm climate for its large, mealy, or starchy roots, 

 which are used much like sweet potatoes. 



Arracacha (Arracacha esculenta). This is a plant allied to the parsnip 

 and carrot and is extensively cultivated in the Andes. It has become 

 naturalized in Jamaica. 



BULB CROPS 



Chia -pen-no (Lilium tigrinum). The bulbs of this lily with a pars- 

 nip flavor are eaten in China. 



Onion (Allium cepa). The cultivation of the onion dates back to the 

 earliest times in the history of China, Egypt and India. Its bulbs are 

 large and show many varietal differences due to manner of propagation, 

 quality, shape, color, size and time of maturity (Fig. 96). 



Garlic (Allium satiwm). This plant is a native of southern Europe. 



